Clinton and Geithner on ‘A Date With Luyu’

In China for the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner made time Sunday evening before a state dinner to tape "A Date with Luyu," a Sino-Oprahesque interview with Chinese celebrity talk-show host Chen Luyu, whose show has an audience of around 65 million Chinese-speaking fans.

Chen Luyu on the set with Timothy Geithner and Hillary Clinton

Chen took the two on a memory-lane stroll through a book of more than four decades’ worth of pictures of Geithner and Clinton. She elicited a wealth of personal information from the duo, covering hair styles, raising children in the spotlight of Washington politics and how they each deal with criticism. Clinton talked about movie nights with her husband, while Geithner told how he navigated his career towards public service.

(While looking at a picture of Geithner and Clinton at the first Strategic and Economic Dialogue)

QUESTION: What were you talking about?

SECRETARY CLINTON: I think I was complimenting him on his hair.

(Laughter.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: He always looks so good, you know? It's maddening. It takes me so much longer, and it doesn't even look as good.

QUESTION: Yes. Actually, a lot of American people tell me that they think you are one of the best looking guys in the Administration. Do you agree?

SECRETARY GEITHNER: That can't be true. Can't be true.

SECRETARY CLINTON: I have it on very good authority that that's true.

***

Geithner Reminisces about Two Summers in China in the 80s

QUESTION: China was so, so different at that time.

SECRETARY GEITHNER: Oh, it's amazing.

QUESTION: There were so few foreigners.

SECRETARY GEITHNER: Amazing.

QUESTION: So, everywhere you went, people stared at you a lot?

SECRETARY GEITHNER: Yes, we used to have crowds of people follow us. It wasn't just that we were American, Western, it's because we were all students of Chinese. So it was a great -- it was a wonderful experience for us.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I was -- you know, I was a lawyer and a law professor, and having fun playing volleyball on Sunday. I didn't really know what the future would hold. I always believed that my husband would have a political career, although -- I can't remember the exact year, but that year probably is after he lost his first political race. And you know, he just -- he loved politics, and he loved people, so I knew that he would always be involved.

And that -- and I loved public service and working on behalf of, you know, children and women, and that's something that I still believe in, to this day.

QUESTION: How about you? Did you know what you wanted for life?

SECRETARY GEITHNER: No, but I -- you know, I grew up mostly outside the United States. Even before I came to China I spent a lot of time outside the United States. And I got to see the United States through the eyes of the world, the huge impact America could have on the world, often for good, sometimes for not so good. And I decided, because of that experience, that I wanted to work for my country, and have a chance to shape what we did around the world.

So, I don't think I knew, when I was in China then, that I would ultimately work at the Treasury, work in finance. But I knew that I wanted to work for my country.

***

A Picture of the Clintons in Law School

SECRETARY CLINTON: You can see we were children of our times.

QUESTION: Wow, look at the hair and the beard.

SECRETARY CLINTON: He looked like a Viking. That was my first impression when I saw my husband. And then, of course, I had very long hair and what we called aviator glasses.

QUESTION: Oh, yes.

SECRETARY CLINTON: And that's the day we were married, which seems like a very short time ago.

QUESTION: Yes. But hair looks very different.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, you know, me and hair. I mean, it's always something that is the easiest thing to change. Everything else is too hard, but hair you can change. You can cut it, you can grow it, you can -- in that case, I had -- that's kind of an old permanent, because you can tell I had very straight hair. But I decided I would see what it was like being curly. And that didn't last too long.

***

Geithner on Getting Angry

QUESTION: I read from Vogue the other day that you lost your temper once when a TV crew went to film your house, your children were in the house, they were terrified, and you were really angry. Do you remember that?

SECRETARY GEITHNER: I do remember that. I try to be protective of my children.

QUESTION: I know.

SECRETARY GEITHNER: And their privacy. But you know, again, these are things that are unavoidable.

QUESTION: I cannot imagine how you look like when you are angry. You know, you always look so composed.

SECRETARY GEITHNER: I have my moments.

(Laughter.)

QUESTION: I can't imagine that.

SECRETARY GEITHNER: The best thing with anger is just to use it strategically.

QUESTION: Oh, it looks very intense.

***

Clinton on Motherhood

QUESTION: Are you a strict mother?

SECRETARY CLINTON: I was. She is an adult now, so -

(Laughter.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: I was. I thought it was important. But it was also the way I was raised. I think it's really important to help your children get that internal compass, you know, know what's right from wrong, develop discipline, organization, so that they don't have a dream but don't know how to pursue it, but they understand how important their education is, they take their work seriously, they show respect to their elders, you know, the kind of universal values that I think make for good child-rearing.

QUESTION: Are you a nagging mother?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, my daughter would say I was, yes.

(Laughter.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think most mothers can't help themselves.

QUESTION: Yes, I know.

SECRETARY CLINTON: At least that's been my observation. My daughter taught me a lesson, though, when she was about four years old, and I saw her going outside without a sweater on. And I said, “Chelsea, put on a sweater, it's cold outside.” And she looked at me and goes, “I'm not cold. If you're cold, you should put on a sweater.” So you try to guide your daughter or your son, and then eventually they -- if they are independent-minded, they begin to understand how to make their own way in the world.

***

Going to the Movies With Bill Clinton

SECRETARY CLINTON: I work in Washington, but I still live in New York. And so, whenever I can, I try to get home to New York. And then my husband and I like to do just ordinary, normal things, go out to dinner with friends, go to movies, go for long walks. And my daughter lives in New York City, so I get to see her more than if she lived somewhere else, which I like a lot. And my mother, who is 90 -- going to be 91 in June -- lives with us in Washington. So I am thankful that I have my mother.

And so, it works out. It's not enough time, but I am fortunate to have the time I do enjoy.

QUESTION: You really go to movies together?

SECRETARY CLINTON: We do.

QUESTION: Really?

SECRETARY CLINTON: We do, indeed. Yes.

QUESTION: What movies do you like most?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we have an ongoing negotiation, because my husband prefers the action movies.

SECRETARY GEITHNER: There's a surprise.
SECRETARY CLINTON: The more violence, the better. And I think it's kind of a male thing.

QUESTION: Yes.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Where -- just take me to a movie, let me sit there and watch people shoot each other, and I don't find that relaxing at all. So I prefer the comedies, the romances, those kinds of movies. So we take turns. And when I go to one of his movies, I shut my eyes a lot, and listen to the music and the soundtrack. And when he goes to one of my movies, he falls asleep a lot. So it works out pretty well for us.